One of the things my husband and I loved about being in the military was bringing a group of people around our table to share a meal.
A few years ago I posted about one such meal in a blog I called Fixin’ To Have Some Folks For Dinner. I’m not much of a cook but thankfully, we had an amazing Enlisted Aide who prepared the meals, and I loved everything about making menu cards and decorating the table.
In these days of retirement we don’t host nearly as many dinners and when we do they’re much more relaxed. I still try to set a beautiful table because I want people to feel special when they dine with us but gone are the menu cards and the carefully orchestrated timeline that Sarah was always able to maintain. Now we do the shopping and cooking ourselves and guests are very often hanging out in the kitchen while my husband finishes the cooking.
More often than not, our dinner guests these days have feathers.
We’ve spent quite a bit of time maintaining feeders in our back yard since we’ve moved back into our “little crooked house in the woods” and our efforts have paid off. All winter the birds entertained us and now that spring is here we’ve gained a reputation in their world as being a safe and reliable source of food.
To our delight, this pileated woodpecker, who usually stays way up in the trees and seldom comes near the house, has been a frequent visitor for the past two weeks, staying long enough to allow pictures on occasion.
For the record, we don’t discriminate…every now and then we offer something up for the creatures who don’t fly.
Dinnertime at our house has definitely evolved since my husband retired. It warms my heart to see him enjoying something so simple and so very far from what his days used to be about.
That said, isn’t it about time for the man to go back to work?!?
And here’s the real heart of the matter: I once had a young lady tell me that before she began to learn about it, she thought birdwatching was for old people.
I don’t think we’re ready for that designation just yet!
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